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Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-ray Limited Edition 
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Comparison between the Festival Cut on the US Blu-ray from Shout and the Festival Cut on the UK Blu-ray from Arrow Video, as well as a comparison with the Extended Festival Cut on the UK Blu-ray from Arrow Video and the alternative ending (selectable for both versions of the Festival Cut on the UK Blu-ray from Arrow Video
a) “Regular” Festival Cut: Shout vs. Arrow Video
b) Arrow Video: “Regular” Festival Cut vs. Extended Festival Cut
c) Arrow Video: Festival Cut with alternative ending vs. Festival Cut with original ending
US Blu-ray with an incomplete Festival Cut of Bullet in the HeadJohn Woo’s classic Bullet in the Head was first released in 4K in the U.S. in January 2026, for which Shout also included the Festival Cut, sought after by many fans for its longer runtime, in HD. However, the release turned out to be somewhat disappointing with regard to this longer bonus version: Several climactic violence scenes and short plot moments were missing from this film version, which was cobbled together using the 4K scan of the international theatrical version as a basis. Furthermore, the disc often switched unnecessarily - sometimes for minutes at a time - to the inferior festival video source, so that despite only a few seconds of exclusive material, entire scenes played with burned-in subtitles that are actually identical to those in the restored theatrical version. Fans had high hopes for the British edition from Arrow Video, as the label is known for its meticulous work, particularly when it comes to different film versions. As of June 22, 2026, the release is finally here, and they have indeed addressed the issue with the Festival Cut. While Shout’s U.S. release included the international theatrical cut on a 4K disc and a standard Blu-ray, and offered the Festival Cut AND additional extras on a bonus disc, Arrow Video’s release features the main film only in 4K. There is a separate Blu-ray here solely for bonus material, though they’ve also added some archival extras (a full two hours of additional interviews from the British DVD edition by HKL) that were missing from Shout’s American edition. A Blu-ray edition containing the main feature on a Blu-ray disc instead of the 4K disc was also released simultaneously. For the Festival Cut, both Arrow Video sets include a separate Blu-ray disc. Depending on how you count them, this disc contains either two or, strictly speaking, even four versions of the film. The primary distinction is between the “standard” Festival Cut and an “Extended Festival Cut,” which also includes all the exclusive material from the theatrical version. As we had already learned in advance from label sources - and as this report confirms in more detail - Arrow has also, thankfully, reconstructed the film more cleanly using the 4K footage from the theatrical cut, resulting in significantly fewer instances of lower-quality source material with burned-in subtitles than on the Shout release.
Arrow Video corrects editing and offers multiple Festival Cut variationsThis report is divided into several sections and first compares Shout’s Festival Cut with Arrow Video’s version. The pleasant surprise here: The three violence-related cuts are not objectionable in Arrow Video’s version. Admittedly, these scenes were also cut from the Hong Kong VCD and were thus presumably censored at some point in the film’s country of origin. However, on the VHS of the Festival Cut that was circulating at the time, they were included normally without any noticeable cut marks, so it’s understandable that many fans were baffled that Shout actively replicated these cuts. Arrow Video, in any case, did not do this. The on-screen text overlays with location and time information - which were missing from the Shout scan but appeared in some older releases - have now been sensibly recreated for the British disc. This ws even done for the 4K main feature aka the international theatrical version, by the way. Second, the two main extended versions from Arrow Video (= “regular” Festival Cut + Extended Festival Cut) are compared. Basically, we’re already familiar with all these moments from our previous report between the Shout Blu-ray and the German Blu-ray, and there isn’t any additional exclusive or extended material here, but it’s still fascinating. In fact, they’ve recreated the two more unconventional editing choices from the German Blu-ray - specifically, the scene during the shootout in the middle of the film where a moment found only in the trailer was incorporated, and all the shots of the explosion were combined. Thanks to the new trailer scan and, of course, the new 4K master for the explosion scene, the quality here is also significantly better. Apart from that, the difference lies in the four plot scenes that were included in the final/international theatrical version but were missing from both the aforementioned VCD and the VHS copy of the Festival Cut. Finally, the report briefly addresses the different final scenes. As a little anecdote, we were told that the raw scan of the Festival Cut initially featured the alternative “Boardroom Ending” and the end credits, after which the better-known ending variant - featuring the car chase (which is even longer in the Festival Cut) - was simply tacked on, so to speak. Having been freshly scanned in HD, both ending scenes were therefore available, and Arrow now additionally offers the option to play both the “regular” and the Extended Festival Cuts with the shorter alternative ending instead of the car chase. This means virtually anyone can choose their preferred combination, resulting in the four variations of the Festival Cut mentioned at the beginning - not to mention, of course, the international theatrical version in 4K, which serves as a sort of fifth film version from Arrow Video. In short: This is, of course, a release that comes highly recommended for fans in every respect. First, a comparison between Shout’s Festival Cut and Arrow Video’s “regular” Festival Cut. Runtime information is organized here according to the following format
Shout’s Festival Cut at 23.976 fps / Arrow Video’s Festival Cut at 23.976 fps . We’ll start with additional notes from Shout at the beginning of the U.S. Blu-ray. These are also present on the Arrow release, but there they appear individually at the start and are not part of the movie file, which essentially explains the slightly shorter runtime. Apart from that, the Arrow version has a few more inconsequential frames surrounding the scenes shown from the 4K master rather than the Festival source in Shout's version. 19 sec
Immediately after the Golden Princess logo (shown here by 00:39 / 00:20), it’s noticeable that Arrow has retouched the credits on a black background: Shout had many small specks in the image here because the entire opening credits sequence was taken from the festival source. Arrow initially uses the superior 4K master of the theatrical version, even for the subsequent credits for the three lead actors...
...and switches immediately afterward (illustrated here by 01:02 / 00:43 to the festival video source for the title card (which is, in fact, identical to the one in the theatrical version). Here, there’s a smooth fade-in to an exclusive shot of Ben dancing, which is likely why Arrow also adopted the title card from that source to ensure a smoother transition.
Now Arrow also uses the festival video source continuously for one minute during the credits. Actually, there would have been “only” three extensions in the title sequence with a total duration of 18 seconds, so in principle, they could have used the better 4K master for the remaining 42 seconds as well. On the German Blu-ray featuring the Director’s Cut, the theatrical version’s video master - an upscaled version of an old SD source - was significantly worse to begin with, but in principle, that’s exactly what was done here: only the aforementioned 18 seconds were supplemented as inserts from the VHS copy of the Festival Cut, which was still significantly worse at the time. Either way: Starting with the shot of Ben in front of the mirror at 02:03 / 01:44, the Arrow reconstruction has been more thoroughly reworked, which is noticeable - in addition to the slightly different color palette in the screenshot shown - for example, by the speck on his nose or the white spots on his neck. The hard-coded subtitles for the following dialogues - which are included exactly as they appear in the theatrical version without any additions - are therefore no longer an issue with the Arrow release. This continued throughout the entire remainder of the credits up to 05:01 / 04:42, although not a single bit of additional material could be found in the festival source footage during these three minutes.
As already detailed in the old report on the Shout version, this pattern runs throughout the rest of the film, and when it comes to extended scenes, Shout has often been extremely generous, incorporating several minutes of lower-quality footage instead of using the better 4K master whenever possible. From this point on, we won’t break it down in detail with timecodes again, but Arrow has corrected this across the board and uses the Festival Cut’s footage much more selectively - truly only for the additional scenes. Here are just a few examples:
05:49 / 05:30 Here, in all Arrow versions (including the theatrical cut), the text “Hong Kong 1967” appears on screen. As already mentioned in the other report, this was likely present in the original versions but was omitted by Shout. It’s great that Arrow has now reconstructed it using the high-quality 4K image master.
25:51 / 25:32 Same story here with “Saigon.”
31:54 / 31:36 During the headshot, the shot cuts off earlier (just before the blood spatters). Arrow sensibly left this as the uncensored version from the globally recognized theatrical version and did not nonsensically reconstruct the Hong Kong censorship. 0.5 sec
32:03 / 31:45–31:48 The boy falls to the ground (with blood still spurting from his head). The follow-up shot, in which he is kicked in the head, also begins slightly earlier because the fountain of blood is still visible at the start. 3 sec
56:37 / 56:22–56:23 The bloody aftermath of the knife throw is, of course, still visible at the end of the shot. The Shout Extended Cut cuts immediately after the hit, making it a rather noticeable cut. 0.8 sec
An interesting detail: At 117:44 / 117:31, the Shout Extended Edition has a small jump cut. Even though it uses the 4K-remastered footage here, and the same shot in the theatrical version (113:08) is shown in its entirety, including the three frames removed by the jump cut. There are a few more of these mini-jump cuts throughout the film, but this one is perhaps the most noticeable, as Ben’s head seems to jump slightly in the Shout extended version. In any case, Arrow’s Extended Version fortunately does NOT have this issue.
119:03 / 118:50 Again, only the VHS version had an additional “Hong Kong 1970” on-screen text, and Arrow included this in all its film versions, while Shout omitted it.
133:36–133:38 / 133:23–133:25 Strange editing error: The flashback to the scene in captivity actually begins a little earlier, but in the Shout extended cut, you see the gun pointed at the skull again. The shot of the skull in question (as also documented in the other report) appears in the theatrical version at this point and was mistakenly used by Shout in the festival reconstruction. As with the German Blu-ray, both versions of the Extended Cut by Arrow offer a frame-by-frame reconstruction of the VHS edit sequence, using the superior main video master for the flashbacks. No time difference
134:10–134:15 / 133:57–134:02 Another silly editing mistake by Shout: In the festival-exclusive version, you’re actually supposed to see before the shot of Paul laughing, a brief flashback of Frankie laughing. The Shout extended version, however, shows Paul laughing right away and only then cuts to the latter part of the shot of Frankie. After that, the exact same shot of Paul laughing is simply shown again - but, curiously, it comes from the other video source of the festival scan and is therefore slightly brighter than it was a moment earlier. Arrow also messed up here, at least just a tiny bit, because the shot at the end was also taken from the festival scan instead of using the theatrical version’s master. No time difference
The end credits on the Shout release are essentially identical in Chinese, so it made no sense that they’re also taken from the 35mm scan. Arrow used the superior theatrical version master here.
Now for the additions to the Extended Festival Cut from Arrow Video. Runtime information is organized here according to the following scheme Arrow Video’s Festival Cut at 23.976 fps / Arrow Video’s Extended Festival Cut at 23.976 fps 59:55 / 59:55-60:05 Before Paul puts his foot on the gold chest, you can still see him dragging the chest inside. Meanwhile, Frankie encourages Sally: They could always join the refugees. Note: This scene was cut in exactly the same way on the Festival VHS. A few shots earlier, there were also reel change markers, which at least suggests that this was simply lost unintentionally. In any case, this part is included in the international theatrical version and could therefore be integrated into the Extended Festival Cut from the 4K image master without any loss of quality. 10.5 sec
61:28 / 61:38–61:41 Frankie dashes through the hallway in two additional shots before Paul throws the suitcase over the gallery. Incidentally, this is a special added moment, as it could only be spotted in the original trailer from back then, which is why this footage was included. It goes unnoticed unless you know about it and blends in seamlessly. However, it wasn’t even included on the festival VHS - and accordingly, Shout had essentially “correctly” ignored it here, a decision Arrow also adopted for its own Festival Cut. Fortunately, though, the Extended Festival Cut followed the lead of the German Blu-ray’s tweaking and added it here as well. Thanks to the trailer being remastered, it’s now in true HD and looks better than on the German Blu-ray. 2.6 sec
64:09 / 64:22–64:23 In all releases of the theatrical version, there’s a small jump cut during the explosion in the hallway, and the Festival VHS apparently provided the explanation: The explosion is briefly shown again here from a different perspective. This was also added to the new scan by both Shout and Arrow:
However, just like on the VHS, the Festival Cut from both Shout and Arrow is missing the portion of the shot after the jump cut - which, as mentioned, is included in the regular theatrical version and only flows smoothly when both shots are combined. So here, one could argue about what is “correct.” In any case, it looks choppy in the theatrical version, and with both the VHS and the Shout extended version, it’s actually a shame to have to do without that brief moment at the end. The German “Director’s Cut” had already combined these elements, making it - at least from an editing standpoint - a sensible solution. That’s exactly how Arrow reconstructed it for the Extended Festival Cut. 0.8 sec
64:30 / 64:44–64:48 As with the VHS, two shots of our protagonists inside the car - which appear in the theatrical version and thus, logically, also in the German “Director’s Cut” - are missing here. Once again, we see Frankie speaking kindly to Sally. This could therefore suggest that this scene, as well as the previous brief moment of connection between Frankie and Sally, was deliberately omitted from the Festival Cut and only added in the final theatrical version. In any case, Arrow has left this scene out of the “regular” Festival Cut, but it is included in the Extended Festival Cut. 3.9 sec
67:12 / 67:30–67:34 The car drives around in an additional shot before our heroes sit down on the riverbank. This was also missing from the VHS version, but unlike the Frankie/Sally moments, it’s really hard to figure out why anyone would have specifically removed it. In any case: This scene is also not included in Arrow’s Festival Cut, but it is in the Extended Festival Cut. 4.3 sec
85:07 / 85:29–85:41 The next, actually nonsensically reconstructed, longer missing segment in the Festival Cut: Several slow-motion shots of Luke (and his entourage) storming through the fields and a long shot were already missing from the VHS and are now also missing from Shout and Arrow. The Extended Festival Cut shows this exactly as the theatrical version does. 11.8 sec
Finally, a look at the alternative ending, which can be selected for both the “regular” and the Extended Festival Cut. Runtime information is organized here according to the following scheme Arrow Festival Cut with alternative ending / Arrow Festival Cut with original ending , each relative to the “regular” version. For timecodes of the Extended Festival Cut, add 34 sec to each. 123:28–124:20 / 123:28–134:41 This is where the alternative ending begins. Ben pulls out a revolver and presses Paul’s head down onto the conference table. He threatens to shoot Paul, just as he shot Frank back then. Paul begs for his life, but Ben pulls Paul’s jacket over his head, just as it happened back in Vietnam. This is also shown in parallel through flashbacks, and after a moment’s hesitation, Ben finally pulls the trigger - though the shot is only heard over a black screen.
In the original version, Ben packs the skull back up and walks away, followed by the chase through the parking garage and the dramatic showdown in flames. Within this scene, there is about half a minute of exclusive footage from the Extended Cut compared to the international theatrical version.
Original version is 10:21 min longer In the alternative ending, the credits roll immediately afterward against a black background; in the original version, they initially appear over the shot of Ben running away through the flames.
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